大理蟹甲草 da li xie jia cao

Senecio taliensis Franchet, J. Bot. (Morot) 8: 357. 1894; Cacalia taliensis (Franchet) Handel-Mazzetti.

Rhizomes subglobose, short, with many tomentose, fibrous roots. Stem solitary, erect, striate, 25-40 cm tall, slender, simple or sometimes laxly branched above, sparsely arachnoid or subglabrous, often naked in lower part. Leaves lax at middle to upper part, long petiolate; petiole not winged, 3-5(-8) cm, sparsely arachnoid or later glabrescent, not expanded at base; blade adaxially dark green, broadly ovate or ovate-oblate, 3-5 × 3.5-6(-7) cm, membranous or submembranous, abaxially densely white or gray-white tomentose, adaxially densely or sparsely hispidulous, veins abaxially prominent, basally 5-veined, lateral veins upward branched, base truncate or subcordate, margin inconspicuously undulate or irregularly triangular coarsely toothed, rarely subentire, teeth mucronulate, apex acute or obtuse. Upper leaves smaller, ovate or ovate-triangular, shortly petiolate. Capitula 5-7, terminal or in upper leaf axils, arranged in racemes or compound racemes; peduncles spreading or pendulous by anthesis, short, (3-)5-7 mm, slender, arachnoid, with 1 or 2 linear or linear-lanceolate bractlets. Involucres cylindric, 8-10 × 2-2.5 mm; phyllaries 5, linear-lanceolate, 1.3-2 mm wide, sparsely puberulent or subglabrous, margin narrowly scarious, apically obtuse, ciliate. Florets (6-)8 or 9; corolla yellow, 7-8 mm, with 2.5-3 mm tube and broadly tubular limb; lobes linear-lanceolate, 1.5-2 mm. Anthers exserted from corolla, basally long caudate. Style branches truncate, papillose. Achenes yellow-brown, cylindric, 4-4.5 mm, glabrous, ribbed. Pappus white, 6-7 mm. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep.

● Open slopes, understories of Abies forests; 3000-3400 m. Yunnan (Dali, Zhongdian).

Parasenecio taliensis is similar to P. lidjiangensis but differs in having leaves 3 or 4, crowded at the middle; blade orbicular or broadly ovate, abaxially densely white arachnoid-tomentose; and petiole not winged, not expanded at the base.